Roma and Manchester United Discuss Rashford and Kone Transfer

Manchester United and Roma have opened a line of dialogue over Manu Kone. Somewhere in the middle of those conversations, a far bigger name has been dropped on the table: Marcus Rashford.

In Italy, reports suggest the England forward’s name has surfaced as a potential makeweight in negotiations for Kone, the France midfielder who caught the eye at the 2026 World Cup. It is the kind of idea that lights up a headline. The chances of it actually happening look far dimmer.

United cool on €60m Kone

Roma know exactly what Kone represents: talent, resale value and, crucially, a way to ease Financial Fair Play pressure. La Gazzetta dello Sport report that a sale this summer could bring in around €60m, a figure that would significantly help the Giallorossi balance their books.

United are on the list of admirers, but not at any price. Inside Old Trafford, the enthusiasm for paying the full €60m is far from unanimous, according to the same reports. The player has impressed, the price has not.

So the talks continue. United are expected to keep pushing Roma to soften their stance and bring that fee down, rather than simply accepting the Italian club’s valuation.

Rashford as a bargaining chip?

That is where Rashford’s name comes in. La Gazzetta dello Sport claim United could look to include the forward in discussions, at least as a theoretical option, to try to unlock a deal for Kone.

On paper, it is a bold play. In practice, it runs into problems almost immediately.

Rashford’s contract at United is heavy. His net salary is reported to be around €10m per season, with bonuses of roughly €2.5m on top. Drop those numbers into Serie A and he would become the league’s highest-paid player by a distance. For a Roma side already working within FFP constraints, that is not just a stretch. It borders on impossible.

Roma’s stance, according to the reports, underlines that reality. Any move for Rashford would have to be a loan, not a permanent transfer, and even then only if United continued to shoulder a significant portion of his wages. That would mean the Premier League club paying a large slice of a marquee player’s salary to play in another league, while still trying to reshape their own squad.

It is the sort of structure that looks good in theory but rarely survives the hard maths of a modern transfer window.

A deal that feels out of reach

So Roma keep listening on Kone. United keep talking. The idea of Rashford in Giallorosso colours lingers as a tantalising what-if rather than a concrete plan.

Unless someone blinks on the numbers – on the €60m for Kone, on the €10m-plus package for Rashford – this is a negotiation destined to stay grounded in financial reality, not fantasy.